Bahrain resumes activity in embassy in Syria

MANAMA: The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the continuation of the work of the Embassy of Bahrain in Syria, according to the Bahrain state-news agency BNA.

The Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain is also carrying out its work, and the flights between the two countries are uninterrupted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the keenness of Bahrain on the continuation of relations with the Syrian Arab Republic and on the importance of enhancing the Arab role and activating it in order to preserve Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and to prevent the dangers of regional interference in its internal affairs and progress.

The United Arab Emirates has also resumed operations at their Syrian Embassy, and Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir recently became the first Arab leader to visit Syria since the civil war broke out there almost 8 years ago. These recent developments reflect an effort by Gulf Arab states to improve relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad as his forces win a series of military victories with the help of Russia and Iran.

Truckloads of civilians leave Daesh enclave in Syria

The village is all that remains for Daesh in the Euphrates valley region that became its final populated stronghold in Iraq and Syria

The SDF has steadily driven the militants down the Euphrates after capturing their Syrian capital

Updated 22 February 2019

Reuters

February 22, 2019 11:01

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NEAR BAGHOU: Trucks loaded with civilians left the last Daesh enclave in eastern Syria on Friday, as US-backed forces waited to inflict final defeat on the surrounded militants.
Reporters near the front line at Baghouz saw dozens of trucks driving out with civilians inside them, but it was not clear if more remained in the tiny pocket.
The village is all that remains for Daesh in the Euphrates valley region that became its final populated stronghold in Iraq and Syria after it lost the major cities of Mosul and Raqqa in 2017.
The SDF has steadily driven the militants down the Euphrates after capturing their Syrian capital, Raqqa, in 2017, but does not want to mount a final attack until all civilians are out.
The US-led coalition which supports the SDF has said Islamic State’s “most hardened fighters” remain holed up in Baghouz, close to the Iraqi frontier.
Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF’s media office, earlier told Reuters that more than 3,000 civilians were estimated to still be inside Baghouz and there would be an attempt to evacuate them on Friday.
“If we succeed in evacuating all the civilians, at any moment we will take the decision to storm Baghouz or force the terrorists to surrender,” he said.
Though the fall of Baghouz marks a milestone in the campaign against Islamic State and the wider conflict in Syria, the militant group is still seen as a major security threat.
It has steadily turned to guerrilla warfare and still holds territory in a remote, sparsely populated area west of the Euphrates River — a part of Syria otherwise controlled by the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies.
The United States will leave “a small peacekeeping group” of 200 American troops in Syria for a period of time after a US pullout, the White House said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump pulled back from a complete withdrawal.
Trump in December ordered a withdrawal of the 2,000 troops, saying they had defeated Daesh militants in Syria.